Techniques for paging through digital content on touch screen devices

ABSTRACT

Techniques are disclosed for providing a page flipping mode in electronic touch sensitive devices. The user can engage the page flipping mode by performing an activation gesture, which causes the device to display a magazine page flipping mode or a fast page flipping mode. The page flipping modes may show paginated content such as an opened book or magazine in a single stack or side-by-side layout. The fast page flipping modes may show a single page lying relatively flat or somewhat curled with the edges of subsequent pages visible at the right edge of the page. A page flipping gesture may prompt an animation showing one or more pages folding up to display subsequent pages to the user. In some cases, the number of pages being flipped and/or the speed at which the pages are flipped, is dependent upon the speed and/or length and/or duration of the page flipping gesture.

RELATED APPLICATION

This application is a continuation of U.S. application Ser. No.13/924,321 filed Jun. 21, 2013 (now U.S. Pat. No. 9,400,601). Thisapplication is herein incorporated by reference in its entirety.

FIELD OF THE DISCLOSURE

This disclosure relates to electronic display devices, and moreparticularly, to user interface (UI) techniques for interacting withtouch screen devices.

BACKGROUND

Electronic display devices such as tablets, eReaders, mobile phones,smart phones, personal digital assistants (PDAs), and other such touchscreen electronic display devices are commonly used for displayingconsumable content. The content may be, for example, an eBook, an onlinearticle or blog, images, a movie or video, a map, just to name a fewtypes. Such display devices are also useful for displaying a userinterface that allows a user to interact with an application running onthe device. The user interface may include, for example, one or moretouch screen controls and/or one or more displayed labels thatcorrespond to nearby hardware buttons. The touch screen display may bebacklit or not, and may be implemented for instance with an LED screenor an electrophoretic display. Such devices may also include other touchsensitive surfaces, such as a track pad (e.g., capacitive or resistivetouch sensor) or touch sensitive housing (e.g., acoustic sensor).

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIGS. 1a-b illustrate an example electronic touch screen device having apage flipping mode configured in accordance with an embodiment of thepresent invention.

FIGS. 1c-d illustrate example configuration screen shots of the userinterface of the electronic touch screen device shown in FIGS. 1a-b ,configured in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2a illustrates a block diagram of an electronic touch screen deviceconfigured in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2b illustrates a block diagram of a communication system includingthe electronic touch screen device of FIG. 2a , configured in accordancewith an embodiment of the present invention.

FIGS. 3a-e illustrate an example magazine page flipping mode of anelectronic touch screen device, in accordance with an embodiment of thepresent invention.

FIGS. 4a-d illustrate an example page flipping mode of an electronictouch screen device, in accordance with an embodiment of the presentinvention.

FIGS. 5a-e illustrate an example page flipping mode of an electronictouch screen device, in accordance with another embodiment of thepresent invention.

FIGS. 6a-d illustrate an example page flipping mode of an electronictouch screen device, in accordance with another embodiment of thepresent invention.

FIG. 7 illustrates a method for providing a page flipping mode in anelectronic touch screen device, in accordance with an embodiment of thepresent invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Techniques are disclosed for providing a page flipping mode inelectronic touch sensitive devices. The user can engage the pageflipping mode by performing an activation gesture, which causes thedevice to display a magazine page flipping mode or a fast page flippingmode. In some embodiments, a distinct activation gesture may be used toenter either of the two page flipping modes. In some specific cases, themagazine page flipping mode may show paginated content as an opened bookor magazine or other paginated content, with the left-hand pages lyingrelatively flat and the right-hand pages slightly curled, the way aphysical magazine looks when a user is holding it and flipping throughthe pages. Other page layout configurations can be used as well, as willbe further appreciated in light of this disclosure. The fast pageflipping mode may show, for example, a single page stack with a virtualbinding on the left side with the edges of subsequent pages visible atthe right edge of the page assuming a left side virtual binding. Otherembodiments may include other content layouts such as a single stackwith a right side virtual binding, or a side-by-side layout with acenter binding. A page flipping gesture may prompt an animation showingone or more pages folding up to reveal subsequent pages to the user. Thepage flipping gesture may be, for example, a right-to-left or aleft-to-right swipe gesture and/or a press and hold gesture. The numberof pages being flipped and/or the speed at which the pages are flipped,may be dependent upon the speed, length, and/or duration of the pageflipping gesture. In some embodiments a number of areas of interest maybe identified by the page flipping mode, and the page flipping speed maydecrease or pause or stop when content related to those areas ofinterest is being displayed to the user. In some cases, the pageflipping mode can skip pages that are not of interest, such that onlypages including an area of interest are displayed.

General Overview

As previously explained, electronic display devices such as tablets,eReaders, and smart phones are commonly used for displaying userinterfaces and consumable content. The user of such devices cantypically consume the displayed content with relative ease. In someinstances, the content being consumed may be divided into individualpages and the user may wish to preview or flip through the pages of adigital magazine or book as can be done with a physical book or magazinein a bookstore. While page flipping techniques are provided in touchscreen devices which allow the user to advance one page at a timethrough content, a page flipping mode as variously described hereinwhich allows the user to advance through multiple pages at a time mayprovide a more intuitive or otherwise positive user experience.

Thus, and in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention,page flipping techniques are disclosed for use in electronic touchscreen devices. The content being read or otherwise consumed by the usermay include, for example, magazines, notes, slides, paginated documentsor files, eBooks, and/or any other paginated or similarly dividedconsumable content. Such page flipping techniques may allow a reader touse intuitive gestures to quickly preview the contents of a magazine orother paginated material without reading each and every page. In someembodiments, the user can engage the page flipping mode with an initialactivation gesture on the touch screen device. The initial activationgesture may include, for example, a single swipe gesture, a pair ofswipe gestures oriented toward opposing edges of the device (likeopening up a magazine or book with both thumbs), a press and holdgesture on or near an edge of the content, or any uniquely identifiabletouch screen gesture or combination of gestures. In some cases, the pageflipping mode may include a magazine flipping function or a fast flipfunction, each of which may be activated with a distinct activationgesture.

In one embodiment, the user may activate a magazine flip function, socalled because the user experience simulates the mechanical way thatpeople open and quickly flip through a physical book or magazine orother paginated content. Such a mode mimics the speedy method thatallows a reader to quickly get a brief overview of the paginatedcontent, as might be done while browsing material in a bookstore. In oneembodiment, the magazine flip function includes a gesture and animationsystem. An initial gesture may activate the magazine flip function. Notethat the pages of the book or magazine may appear in either portrait orlandscape, with both capable of displaying, for instance, a single stacklayout or a side-by-side layout. In one embodiment, once the flipfunction is activated, the animation system may show the paginatedcontent with an unbound side of the stacked pages slanted or staircased,so as to indicate to the user that they can quickly shuffle or riflethrough the pages. For example, and assuming a single stack of pages isdisplayed that is virtually bound on the left side of the stack (nearleft edge of the device display), the unbound right side of the pagestack may appear slanted (near right edge of the device display) so asto effectively provide an inclined or miniature staircase effect whereeach page edge of that unbound side provides one step in the staircase,much like a real book when splayed open on a table or in the hands of areader. In another example, where the paginated content is displayed ina side-by-side layout with a center virtual binding and is read fromleft to right, the stack edge to the left of the virtual binding mayappear straight (or slightly inclined, as the case may be) and the edgeto the right of the virtual binding may appear to be slanted orstaircased so as to encourage or otherwise indicate a quickthumbing/flipping through the content can be achieved with a gesture(e.g., swipe or press and hold) on or near that edge.

In some embodiments, the pages to the left of the virtual binding may belying relatively flat and have a diminished appearance (either grayedout or slightly shaded), and the pages to the right side of the virtualbinding may exhibit natural page-like qualities such as page curlingand/or shading that varies with proximity to the binding area. Also, theedges of the next several (e.g., 3 to 30 pages) may be visible. Thereader may then perform, for example, a swipe gesture from the bezel ofthe device inward, either toward the left or right, to turn the pagesquickly forward or backward. The page flipping speed may increase ordecrease based on the speed and/or length of the swipe gesture, or basedon the distance of the swipe from the edge of the device. In anotherexample embodiment, the reader may perform a press and hold gesture onor near the slanted edge to initiate page turning. The page flippingspeed may increase or decrease based on, for example, the duration theswipe gesture is held (e.g., 1 page/2 seconds for the first 5 seconds ofthe press and hold gesture, then 10 pages/second for the next 4 secondspress and hold gesture, then 1 section/second for the next 3 secondspress and hold gesture, and then 1 chapter/second thereafter, untilpress and hold gesture is released. Numerous variations will be apparentin light of this disclosure.

In another embodiment, the user may activate an interest-based pageflipping function which may alert the user to the presence of specificcontent on pages that are being flipped through. The page flippingtechniques described herein allow a reader to quickly flip throughpaginated digital content, however, if the user flips the pages tooquickly, content that might interest the user could be glanced over. Aninterest-based page flipping function allows users to identify whatspecific topics or items they are interested in so that the device maydraw the users' attention to those topics or items if they are presentin a magazine or book that the user is flipping through. In such case,the page flipping speed may decrease, briefly pause (e.g., 1 to 5seconds) or come to a full stop at pages of interest. In still othercases, pages having no area of interest can be completely skipped, suchthat only pages of interest are displayed. In one specific example, theuser may enter a number of products that are of particular interest, andif one or more of those products are present in a magazine which theuser is flipping through the page flipping speed may slow down or stopon the page containing the products of interest. In another example, anarea or point of interest in the digital content may include a productof interest, a chapter title page, or pages where the user has madenotes, highlights, and/or annotations. Furthermore, the interest-basedpage flipping function may draw the user's attention by highlighting thespecific products of interest that are present on the page. As usedherein, highlighting may refer, for example, to any visual and/or auralindication of a content selection, which may or may not include aformatting change. In one particular embodiment, the highlightingfunction may outline a selected image or section of text, thus catchingthe user's attention so as not to miss content that the user isinterested in.

Note that such interest-based page flipping as variously describedherein can also be executed with respect to serial paginated contentthat includes single sheets/pages of content in a line rather than astack, such that the content can effectively be scrolled across thescreen in a serial fashion and in response to the page flip gesture asvariously described herein. The speed of the scrolling can becontrolled, for example, by modulating the distance of the contactpoint(s) of the flip gesture from the device bezel (e.g., close to thebezel is slow and farther from the bezel to scroll faster), or usingother techniques described herein. Further note for serial paginatedcontent that the display may show one page of the serial stream (1-up),two adjacent pages of the serial stream (2-up), three adjacent pages ofthe serial stream (3-up), and so on. The speed at which the stream ofserial paginated content passes through the display area of the devicecan be controlled just as described with respect to page flipping astack of paginated content.

The techniques have a number of advantages, as will be appreciated inlight of this disclosure. For instance, in some cases, the techniquescan be employed to provide a discreet and intuitive way for a user tointeract with a device without overly distracting the user (or othersnearby) from other events occurring during the interaction. Forinstance, in some such embodiments, a student attending a lecture(either live or via a network) can quickly and intuitively browse atextbook, lecture notes, slides, or other classroom materials using thepage flipping techniques described herein. In such cases, for instance,the student can scroll or otherwise flip through many pages of digitalcontent with fewer swipe gestures, rather than having to perform aseparate gesture for each page turn. In one example embodiment, aprofessor might assign a portion of a textbook for students to study andmight highlight certain sections or headings that are of greaterimportance. Furthermore, a student might highlight sections of atextbook, outline, or lecture notes that will require more detailedstudy. In such embodiments, when a student is reviewing digital contentusing an interest-based flipping technique, any highlighted content bythe student or professor may be brought to the student's attention bydecreasing or stopping the page flipping speed. In one such case, pageswith no highlighted content (or other content of interest) can beskipped or otherwise excluded from the page flip animation. Thus,several quick page flipping gestures might allow a student to preview anentire class's notes without missing or overlooking any importanttopics.

In another embodiment, the user may activate a fast flip function, socalled because the edges of several of the following (or preceding)pages are shown to the user and the user may perform a swipe or flickgesture to flip through the paginated content. In one embodiment, thefast flip function is activated using an initial swipe gesture from theright bezel of the device inwards, or through a press-and-hold gestureon the margin of a page. Once activated, the user may perform additionalswipe or flick gestures to flip through the different pages of content.For example, a swipe gesture from the center of the page toward theright edge may flip through the subsequent pages of content, while aswipe gesture from the center of the page toward the left edge may flipthrough the previous pages of content, or vice versa. In someembodiments, when the user is flipping through the different pages, theoriginal page may have a diminished appearance (e.g., grayed out, orslightly shaded), and only a portion of the adjacent pages (eithersubsequent or previous) may be exposed. An animation may show a portionof the original page folding or curling upward, exposing a portion ofthe pages being flipped through. In one embodiment, the animation systemof the fast flip function imparts a springy quality, such that thenatural tendency of the pages is to spring back to the original page andcollapse or hide the exposed pages. As previously explained, the pageflipping speed may increase or decrease based on the speed and/or lengthof the swipe gesture, or based on the distance of the swipe from theedge of the device, or the duration of a press and hold gesture at anedge of the content. In one embodiment, when the user completes theswipe or flick gesture and lifts their finger from the touch screensurface, the displayed graphic of paginated content will show the newpage landed on as a result of the gesture. Alternatively, retracing theswipe gesture may cover the exposed pages and return to the originalpage view.

In another embodiment, the user may activate a page preview functionwhich may allow the user to preview a portion of one or more of thepages before or after the current page. In one specific such embodiment,the user may hold one contact on the current page with the thumb, whileperforming an inward pinch gesture with another finger. When the userpinches the finger toward the thumb, in one embodiment, an animation mayshow the corner of the current page folding up, exposing the corner ofone or more of the following pages. In some embodiments, the number ofpages that are curled up may increase or decrease based on the speed orlength of the pinching gesture. Such a function creates a userexperience that mimics the action of flipping up a corner of a page inorder to preview a portion of the following pages. Note that althoughthe page preview function is described with reference to the user'sthumb and index finger, the function may be performed with any twocontact points whether they are fingers, styli, or some other suitableimplements.

Given the global nature and/or uniqueness of the engagement mechanism,in accordance with some embodiments, the page flipping mode can besimilarly invoked within multiple diverse applications (e.g., eBook,picture viewer, file manager, etc.) and without conflicting with otherglobal gestures that might also be used by the device's operatingsystem. The gestures can be performed, for example, with the tip of afinger or a stylus, or any other suitable implement capable of providinga detectable swipe gesture.

Architecture

FIGS. 1a-b illustrate an example electronic touch sensitive devicehaving a page flipping mode configured in accordance with an embodimentof the present invention. As can be seen, in this example embodiment,the touch sensitive surface is a touch screen display. The device couldbe, for example, a tablet such as the NOOK® tablet or eReader by Barnes& Noble. In a more general sense, the device may be any electronicdevice having a touch sensitive user interface for detecting directtouch or otherwise sufficiently proximate contact, and capability fordisplaying content to a user, such as a mobile phone or mobile computingdevice such as a laptop, a desktop computing system, a television, asmart display screen, or any other device having a touch sensitivedisplay or a non-sensitive display screen that can be used inconjunction with a touch sensitive surface. As will be appreciated, theclaimed invention is not intended to be limited to any specific kind ortype of electronic device.

As can be seen with this example configuration, the device comprises ahousing that includes a number of hardware features such as a powerbutton, control features, and a press-button (sometimes called a homebutton herein). A user interface is also provided, which in this exampleembodiment includes a quick navigation menu having six main categoriesto choose from (Home, Library, Shop, Search, Light, and Settings) and astatus bar that includes a number of icons (a night-light icon, awireless network icon, and a book icon), a battery indicator, and aclock. Other embodiments may have fewer or additional such UI features,or different UI features altogether, depending on the target applicationof the device. Any such general UI controls and features can beimplemented using any suitable conventional or custom technology, aswill be appreciated.

The hardware control features provided on the device housing in thisexample embodiment are configured as elongated press-bars and can beused, for example, to page forward (using the top press-bar) or to pagebackward (using the bottom press-bar), such as might be useful in aneReader application. The power button can be used to turn the device onand off, and may be used in conjunction with a touch-based UI controlfeature that allows the user to confirm a given power transition actionrequest (e.g., such as a slide bar or tap point graphic to turn poweroff). Numerous variations will be apparent, and the claimed invention isnot intended to be limited to any particular set of hardware buttons orUI features, or device form factor.

In this example configuration, the home button is a physicalpress-button that can be used as follows: when the device is awake andin use, pressing the button will display the quick navigation menu,which is a toolbar that provides quick access to various features of thedevice. The home button may also be configured to cease an activefunction that is currently executing on the device (such as a pageflipping mode), or close a configuration sub-menu that is currentlyopen. The button may further control other functionality if, forexample, the user presses and holds the home button. For instance, anexample such push-and-hold function could engage a power conservationroutine where the device is put to sleep or an otherwise lower powerconsumption mode. So, a user could grab the device by the button, pressand keep holding as the device is stowed into a bag or purse. Thus, onephysical gesture may safely put the device to sleep. In such an exampleembodiment, the home button may be associated with and control differentand unrelated actions: 1) show the quick navigation menu; 2) exit aconfiguration sub-menu; and 3) put the device to sleep. As can befurther seen, the status bar may also include a book icon (upper leftcorner). In some cases, selecting the book icon may providebibliographic information on the content or provide the main menu ortable of contents for the book, movie, playlist, or other content.

In one particular embodiment, a page flipping mode configurationsub-menu, such as the one shown in FIG. 1d , may be accessed byselecting the Settings option in the quick navigation menu, which causesthe device to display the general sub-menu shown in FIG. 1c . From thisgeneral sub-menu, the user can select any one of a number of options,including one designated Screen/UI in this specific example case.Selecting this sub-menu item may cause the configuration sub-menu ofFIG. 1d to be displayed, in accordance with an embodiment. In otherexample embodiments, selecting the Screen/UI option may present the userwith a number of additional sub-options, one of which may include aso-called “page flipping mode” option, which may then be selected by theuser so as to cause the page flipping mode configuration sub-menu ofFIG. 1d to be displayed. Any number of such menu schemes and nestedhierarchies can be used, as will be appreciated in light of thisdisclosure. In other embodiments, the page flipping function ishard-coded such that no configuration sub-menus are needed or otherwiseprovided (e.g., scrolling or otherwise flipping through one or morepages of content depending on the speed or length of a particular swipegesture as described herein, with no user configuration needed). Thedegree of hard-coding versus user-configurability can vary from oneembodiment to the next, and the claimed invention is not intended to belimited to any particular configuration scheme of any kind, as will beappreciated.

As will be appreciated, the various UI control features and sub-menusdisplayed to the user are implemented as touch screen controls in thisexample embodiment. Such UI screen controls can be programmed orotherwise configured using any number of conventional or customtechnologies. In general, the touch screen display translates a touch(direct or hovering, by a user's hand, a stylus, or any other suitableimplement) in a given location into an electrical signal which is thenreceived and processed by the device's underlying operating system (OS)and circuitry (processor, etc.). In some instances, note that the userneed not actually physically touch the touch sensitive device to performan action. For example, the touch screen display may be configured todetect input based on a finger or stylus hovering over the touchsensitive surface (e.g., within 3 inches of the touch screen).Additional example details of the underlying OS and circuitry inaccordance with some embodiments will be discussed in turn withreference to FIG. 2 a.

The touch sensitive surface (or touch sensitive display, in this examplecase) can be any surface that is configured with touch detectingtechnologies, whether capacitive, resistive, acoustic, active-stylus,and/or other input detecting technology, including direct contact and/orproximate contact. In some embodiments, the screen display can belayered above input sensors, such as a capacitive sensor grid forpassive touch-based input, such as with a finger or passive styluscontact in the case of a so-called in-plane switching (IPS) panel, or anelectro-magnetic resonance (EMR) sensor grid for sensing a resonantcircuit of a stylus. In some embodiments, the touch sensitive displaycan be configured with a purely capacitive sensor, while in otherembodiments the touch screen display may be configured to provide ahybrid mode that allows for both capacitive input and EMR input, forexample. In still other embodiments, the touch sensitive surface isconfigured with only an active stylus sensor. Numerous touch screendisplay configurations can be implemented using any number of known orproprietary screen based input detecting technologies. In any suchembodiments, a touch sensitive controller may be configured toselectively scan the touch sensitive surface and/or selectively reportuser inputs detected directly on or otherwise sufficiently proximate to(e.g., within a few centimeters, or otherwise sufficiently close so asto allow detection) the detection surface (or touch sensitive display,in this example case).

As previously explained, and with further reference to FIGS. 1c and 1d ,once the Settings sub-menu is displayed (FIG. 1c ), the user can thenselect the Screen/UI option. In response to such a selection, the pageflipping mode configuration sub-menu shown in FIG. 1d can be provided tothe user. The user can configure a number of functions with respect tothe page flipping mode, in this example embodiment. For instance, inthis example case, the configuration sub-menu includes a UI check boxthat when checked or otherwise selected by the user, effectively enablesthe page flipping mode (shown in the enabled state); unchecking the boxdisables the mode. Other embodiments may have the page flipping modealways enabled, or enabled by a physical switch or button located on thedevice, for example. As previously explained, the page flipping mode maybe implemented using a page flipping animation and optional soundeffects.

With further reference to the example embodiment of FIG. 1d , the usermay enable a magazine flip function using a UI check box or some othersuitable selection method. As described above, the magazine flipfunction allows the user to open and flip through paginated content likeone might browse through a physical book or magazine. Likewise, the usermay enable a fast flip function, a page preview function, and aninterest-based scrolling/flipping function using UI check boxes or otherselection techniques. In the example shown in FIG. 1d , the user hasenabled the magazine flip function, the page preview function, and theinterest-based scrolling/flipping function. If the interest-basedscrolling/flipping function is enabled, the user may type items ortopics of particular interest so that the page scrolling/flipping speedwill decrease or stop completely when those interests are detected inthe content being browsed. In this particular example, the user may typethe interests in the input bar provided in the configuration sub-menuand select the “Enter” button in order to save each interest. In otherembodiments, a user or third party may identify certain sections ofcontent to be of increased interest (e.g., by highlighting a section oftext using a toolbar or options menu), such that the page flipping speedwill decrease or stop when those sections are being flipped through.

In some example embodiments, the user may specify a number ofapplications in which the page flipping mode can be invoked. Such aconfiguration feature may be helpful, for instance, in a tablet orlaptop or other multifunction computing device that can executedifferent applications (as opposed to a device that is more or lessdedicated to a particular application). In such an example, theavailable applications may be provided along with a corresponding checkbox, pull-down menu, or some other suitable UI feature. Exampleapplications may include an eBook application, a word processorapplication, and a document or file viewer application, which are just afew examples. In one example, the page flipping mode may be enabled in afile viewing application (such as a photo viewing application), and thepage flipping mode may treat each individual file as an individual page.Any number of applications or device functions may benefit from a pageflipping mode as provided herein, whether user-configurable or not, andthe claimed invention is not intended to be limited to any particularapplication or set of applications.

As can be further seen, a back button arrow UI control feature may beprovisioned on the screen for any of the menus provided, so that theuser can go back to the previous menu, if so desired. Note thatconfiguration settings provided by the user can be saved automatically(e.g., user input is saved as selections are made or otherwiseprovided). Alternatively, a save button or other such UI feature can beprovisioned, which the user can engage as desired. The configurationsub-menu shown in FIG. 1d is presented merely as an example of how apage flipping mode may be configured by the user, and numerous otherconfigurable or hard-codable aspects will be apparent in light of thisdisclosure. Note that in some embodiments the page flipping mode may bevisually and/or aurally demonstrated or otherwise confirmed to the uservia animations or sound effects. Such animations and sound effectsprovide clarity to the function being performed or otherwise enhance theuser experience. In some embodiments, the animations and/or soundeffects may be user-configurable, while in other embodiments they arehard-coded.

FIG. 2a illustrates a block diagram of an electronic touch screen deviceconfigured in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. Ascan be seen, this example device includes a processor, memory (e.g., RAMand/or ROM for processor workspace and storage), additionalstorage/memory (e.g., for content), a communications module, a touchscreen, and an audio module. A communications bus and interconnect isalso provided to allow inter-device communication. Other typicalcomponentry and functionality not reflected in the block diagram will beapparent (e.g., battery, co-processor, etc). The touch screen andunderlying circuitry is capable of translating a user's contact (director proximate) with the screen into an electronic signal that can bemanipulated or otherwise used to trigger a specific user interfaceaction, such as those provided herein. The principles provided hereinequally apply to any such touch sensitive devices. For ease ofdescription, examples are provided with touch screen technology.

In this example embodiment, the memory includes a number of modulesstored therein that can be accessed and executed by the processor(and/or a co-processor). The modules include an operating system (OS), auser interface (UI), and a power conservation routine (Power). Themodules can be implemented, for example, in any suitable programminglanguage (e.g., C, C++, objective C, JavaScript, custom or proprietaryinstruction sets, etc), and encoded on a machine readable medium, thatwhen executed by the processor (and/or co-processors), carries out thefunctionality of the device including a UI having a page flipping modeas variously described herein. The computer readable medium may be, forexample, a hard drive, compact disk, memory stick, server, or anysuitable non-transitory computer/computing device memory that includesexecutable instructions, or a plurality or combination of such memories.Other embodiments can be implemented, for instance, with gate-levellogic or an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC) or chip setor other such purpose built logic, or a microcontroller havinginput/output capability (e.g., inputs for receiving user inputs andoutputs for directing other components) and a number of embeddedroutines for carrying out the device functionality. In short, thefunctional modules can be implemented in hardware, software, firmware,or a combination thereof.

The processor can be any suitable processor (e.g., Texas InstrumentsOMAP4, dual-core ARM Cortex-A9, 1.5 GHz), and may include one or moreco-processors or controllers to assist in device control. In thisexample case, the processor receives input from the user, includinginput from or otherwise derived from the power button and the homebutton. The processor can also have a direct connection to a battery sothat it can perform base level tasks even during sleep or low powermodes. The memory (e.g., for processor workspace and executable filestorage) can be any suitable type of memory and size (e.g., 256 or 512Mbytes SDRAM), and in other embodiments may be implemented withnon-volatile memory or a combination of non-volatile and volatile memorytechnologies. The storage (e.g., for storing consumable content and userfiles) can also be implemented with any suitable memory and size (e.g.,2 GBytes of flash memory). The display can be implemented, for example,with a 7 to 9 inch 1920×1280 IPS LCD touchscreen touch screen, or anyother suitable display and touchscreen interface technology with. Thecommunications module can be, for instance, any suitable 802.11 b/g/nWLAN chip or chip set, which allows for connection to a local network,and so that content can be exchanged between the device and a remotesystem (e.g., content provider or repository depending on theapplication of the device). In some specific example embodiments, thedevice housing that contains all the various componentry measures about7″ to 9″ high by about 5″ to 6″ wide by about 0.5″ thick, and weighsabout 7 to 8 ounces. Any number of suitable form factors can be used,depending on the target application (e.g., laptop, desktop, mobilephone, etc). The device may be smaller, for example, for smartphone andtablet applications and larger for smart computer monitor and laptopapplications.

The operating system (OS) module can be implemented with any suitableOS, but in some example embodiments is implemented with Google AndroidOS or Linux OS or Microsoft OS or Apple OS. As will be appreciated inlight of this disclosure, the techniques provided herein can beimplemented on any such platforms. The power management (Power) modulecan be configured as typically done, such as to automatically transitionthe device to a low power consumption or sleep mode after a period ofnon-use. A wake-up from that sleep mode can be achieved, for example, bya physical button press and/or a touch screen swipe or other action. Theuser interface (UI) module can be, for example, based on touchscreentechnology and the various example screen shots and use-case scenariosshown in FIGS. 1a, 1c-d, 3a-e, 4a-d, 5a-e , and 6 a-d, and inconjunction with the page flipping mode methodologies demonstrated inFIG. 7, which will be discussed in turn. The audio module can beconfigured to speak or otherwise aurally present, for example, aselected eBook, or other textual content, if preferred by the user.Numerous commercially available text-to-speech modules can be used, suchas Verbose text-to-speech software by NCH Software. In some examplecases, if additional space is desired, for example, to store digitalbooks or other content and media, storage can be expanded via a microSDcard or other suitable memory expansion technology (e.g., 32 GBytes, orhigher). Further note that although a touch screen display is provided,other embodiments may include a non-touch screen and a touch sensitivesurface such as a track pad, or a touch sensitive housing configuredwith one or more acoustic sensors, etc.

Client-Server System

FIG. 2b illustrates a block diagram of a communication system configuredin accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. As can beseen, the system generally includes an electronic touch sensitive device(such as the one in FIG. 2a ) that is capable of communicating with aserver via a network/cloud. In this example embodiment, the electronictouch sensitive device may be, for example, an eBook reader, a mobilecell phone, a laptop, a tablet, desktop, or any other touch sensitivecomputing device. The network/cloud may be a public and/or privatenetwork, such as a private local area network operatively coupled to awide area network such as the Internet. In this example embodiment, theserver may be programmed or otherwise configured to receive contentrequests from a user via the touch sensitive device and to respond tothose requests by performing a desired function or providing the userwith requested or otherwise recommended content. Is some suchembodiments, the server is configured to remotely provision a pageflipping mode as provided herein to the touch screen device (e.g., viaJavaScript or other browser based technology). In other embodiments,portions of the page flipping methodology are executed on the server andother portions of the methodology are executed on the device. Numerousserver-side/client-side execution schemes can be implemented tofacilitate a page flipping mode in accordance with an embodiment, aswill be apparent in light of this disclosure.

Page Flipping Mode Examples

FIGS. 3a-b, and 3d-e collectively illustrate an example page flippingmode that can be applied to a touch sensitive display of an electronicdevice, in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. Ascan be seen, the touch screen of the device is displaying the cover of amagazine and the user can interact with the touch screen using one ormore hands or some other suitable implement. In the particular exampleshown in FIG. 3a , the user has enabled the magazine flip function(e.g., using the configuration sub-menu of FIG. 1d ), such that aninitial activation gesture may cause the device to enter a magazine pageflipping mode. In this example, the activation gesture includes twosimultaneous swipe gestures each oriented toward opposite edges of thedevice screen and the user performs this gesture with the thumbs of bothhands, thus mimicking the action of opening a physical magazine or book.FIG. 3b shows an example of the magazine flip function with page 1 ofthe magazine on the left lying flat and slightly angled, as a physicalmagazine might appear, and having the opposite page curled up andshowing less than the entire contents of page 2. As can be further seen,the edges of a number of subsequent pages are visible at the edge of thecurled page. Referring now to FIG. 3c , an example image of a reader'shands flipping through a physical magazine is shown, in order toillustrate how the magazine page flipping mode described in reference toFIGS. 3a-b and 3d-e mimics the experience of browsing through a physicalmagazine or book.

In the example shown in FIG. 3d , the user can hold the device with theleft hand and perform the page flipping gesture with the right hand. Inthis particular example, the user performs a swipe gesture over page 2of the magazine from the right edge of the screen toward the centerfoldof the magazine. As can be seen in the example of FIG. 3e , as the userperforms the swipe gesture the magazine page flipping mode displays apage turning animation such that the user can browse through themagazine pages. The number of pages flipped through and the speed of thepage flipping animation may depend on the speed or length of the swipegesture or the distance of the swipe gesture from the edge of the pagesbeing displayed. For example, a short swipe gesture may turn throughonly 5 pages, while a longer gesture may turn 20 pages. Likewise, a fastswipe might turn 20 pages while a slow swipe might only turn 5 pages.FIG. 3 e shows that the user has already flipped past pages 1-4 of themagazine and is flipping to page 15. In a similar fashion, performing aswipe gesture from left to right over page 5 of the magazine may reversethe animation and show the pages flipping back toward page 1. In someembodiments, as each page flips past the center of the magazine aportion of that page is visible to the user, such that contents of eachpage are briefly previewed. FIG. 3e shows a portion of page 6 beingdisplayed to the user. In one example, the swipe gesture shown in FIG.3e can be a continuation of the gesture shown in FIG. 3d . As long asthe user doesn't release the contact point in 3 e, the fast flip modewill flip the page with a default speed; and if the user contactcontinues to move the speed of the page flipping animation may increase,in some embodiments.

FIGS. 4a-d collectively illustrate an example page flipping mode with aninterest-based scrolling/flipping function enabled, that can be appliedto a touch sensitive display of an electronic device in accordance withan embodiment of the present invention. As can be seen, in thisparticular example the magazine page flipping mode has been activated asdescribed in reference to FIG. 3b , and the touch screen of the deviceis displaying the first two pages of a magazine. The user may interactwith the touch screen using one or more hands, a stylus, or some othersuitable implement. In this example, the user has enabled theinterest-based scrolling/flipping function and has identified “designershoes” as one of the user's particular interests (e.g., using theconfiguration sub-menu shown in FIG. 1d ). As can be seen in the exampleof FIG. 4b , as the user performs a swipe gesture the magazine pageflipping mode displays a page turning animation such that the user canbrowse through the magazine pages. As discussed above, the number ofpages flipped through and the speed of the page flipping animation maydepend on the speed or length of the swipe gesture or the distance ofthe swipe gesture from the edge of the pages being displayed. FIG. 4bshows that the user has already flipped past the first two pages of themagazine and is flipping to page 10. However, if the user is making acursory preview of a magazine, a reference to designer shoes or someother user interest might be passed over without catching the user'sattention. In the example shown in FIG. 4c , the user has performed asecond swipe gesture of equal length and speed, but instead ofscrolling/flipping until reaching page 20, the scrolling/flipping stopson page 17 because this page contains a reference to designer shoes. Ascan be seen, the reference to designer shoes on page 17 is alsohighlighted in this example embodiment, further attracting the user'sattention to the product of interest. Such optional outlining orhighlighting may assist in attracting the user's attention. In theexample shown in FIG. 4d , the page flipping speed simply decreases whenit reaches page 17 instead of completely stopping. The decreased pageflipping speed and the content highlighting helps catch the reader'sattention while previewing the magazine. As previously explained, insome cases, the page flipping mode can be programmed or otherwiseconfigured to skip pages with no content of interest to further assistin focusing the reader's attention.

FIGS. 5a-b, and 5d-e collectively illustrate an example page flippingmode that can be applied to a touch sensitive display of an electronicdevice, in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. Ascan be seen, the touch screen of the device is displaying the cover of amagazine and the user can interact with the touch screen using one ormore hands or some other suitable implement. In the particular exampleshown in FIG. 3a , the user has enabled the fast flip function (e.g.,using the configuration sub-menu of FIG. 1d ), such that an initialactivation gesture may cause the device to enter a fast page flippingmode. In this example, the activation gesture includes a single swipegesture oriented from the right edge of the magazine page toward thecenter of the page and the user performs this gesture with the indexfinger of the right hand. FIG. 5b shows an example of the fast flipfunction displaying the magazine cover and showing the edges of a numberof subsequent pages at the right edge of the magazine cover.

Referring now to FIG. 5c , an example image of a reader's hands flippingthrough a physical magazine is shown, in order to illustrate how thefast flip function described in reference to FIGS. 5a-b and 5d-e mimicsthe experience of flipping through a physical magazine or book. When theuser moves the right thumb toward the right, the magazine pages beginflipping, thus exposing the subsequent pages. Likewise, the fast flipgesture in this example embodiment is a left-to-right swipe or flickgesture as shown in FIG. 5d . In other embodiments, however, the gesturemay be from right-to-left, or any other suitable touch screen gesture.In this particular example, when the user performs the fast flip gesturethe magazine cover may be shaded and folded up at one corner to expose aportion of the following pages. As previously explained, the number ofpages being flipped through and the speed of the page flipping animationmay depend, for example, on the speed or length of the fast flip gestureor the distance of the gesture from the edge of the pages beingdisplayed. In one such example, performing a slow swipe gesture allowsthe user to preview portions of the magazine slowly; ending the swipegesture whenever the user wishes to land on a page being previewed.After completing the fast flip gesture and removing the user's fingerfrom contact with the touch screen device, the user lands on whicheverpage was being previewed. In the example shown in FIG. 5e , the userlands on page 6 of the magazine after performing the fast flip gesture.In this specific example, after landing on page 6 the edges of a numberof previous pages may be displayed on the left edge of page 6. In suchan example, a fast flick gesture at the left edge of page 6 might allowthe user to preview the previous pages in a similar fashion.

FIGS. 6a-d collectively illustrate an example page flipping mode with apage preview function enabled, that can be applied to a touch sensitivedisplay of an electronic device in accordance with an embodiment of thepresent invention. As can be seen, in this particular example the pageflipping mode has been activated as described in reference to FIG. 5b ,and the touch screen of the device is displaying the cover of amagazine. Furthermore, the edges of a number of subsequent pages arevisible at the right edge of the magazine cover page. In this example,the user may interact with the touch screen using one or more hands, astylus, or some other suitable implement, and the user has enabled thepage preview function (e.g., using the configuration sub-menu shown inFIG. 1d ). As shown in the example in FIG. 6a , the user contacts thecover page with both the thumb and index finger and performs an inwardpinching gesture by bringing the index finger toward the thumb, asillustrated in FIG. 6b . In such an embodiment, the corner of the coverpage may be shown to fold up and expose a portion of the next two pages.This gesture mimics the way a reader might hold down a page with thethumb and flick through a book with the index finger to previewfollowing pages. As such, the number of pages being folded up may dependon the number of pinching gestures performed, in one particularembodiment. In another embodiment, after previewing the following pagesthe user may reverse the pinch gesture and return to the cover page, asshown in FIG. 6c . Alternatively, removing all contact points from thetouch screen may return the magazine to the cover page in someembodiments. After previewing the second page, if the user wishes toopen the magazine to page 2, lifting the thumb contact which is holdingdown the cover page and performing a swipe gesture with the index fingercan land the user on page 2. As discussed above, although the pagepreview function is described and illustrated with reference to theuser's thumb and finger, the function may be performed with any twocontact points whether they are fingers, styli, or some other suitableimplements.

Methodology

FIG. 7 illustrates a method for providing a page flipping mode in anelectronic touch screen device, in accordance with an embodiment of thepresent invention. This example methodology may be implemented, forinstance, by the UI module of the example touch screen device shown inFIG. 2a , or the example touch screen device shown in FIG. 2b (e.g.,with the UI provisioned to the client by the server). To this end, theUI may be implemented in software, hardware, firmware, or any suitablecombination thereof, as will be appreciated in light of this disclosure.

As can be seen, the method generally includes sensing a user's input bya touch screen display. As soon as the user begins to swipe, drag orotherwise move a contact point, the UI code (and/or hardware) can assumea swipe gesture has been engaged and track the path of the contact pointwith respect to any fixed point within the touch screen until the userstops engaging the touch screen surface. The release point can also becaptured by the UI as it may be used to commit the action started whenthe user pressed on the touch sensitive screen. In a similar fashion, ifthe user releases hold without moving the contact point, a tap or pressor press-and-hold command may be assumed depending on the amount of timethe user was continually pressing on the touch sensitive screen. Thesemain detections can be used in various ways to implement UIfunctionality, including a page flipping mode as variously describedherein, as will be appreciated in light of this disclosure. Note also,that the example activation gestures and page flipping gesturesdescribed below are for illustrative purposes only, and the presentinvention is not intended to be limited to any particular type orcombination of gestures.

In this example case, the method includes displaying 701 content on thetouch sensitive device that is paginated or otherwise similarly divided.Examples of such content may include an eBook, a magazine, a multi-pagetext document, or a slideshow, just to name a few. Once it has beendetermined that the user is viewing paginated content, the method maycontinue with determining 702 whether a magazine page flippingactivation gesture has been detected at the touch sensitive surface. Inone particular embodiment, the magazine page flipping activation gesturemay include two simultaneous swipe gestures each oriented towardopposite edges of the content being displayed. Such an activationgesture may be performed with the thumbs of each hand while holding thedevice with both hands, in some embodiments. If the magazine pageflipping activation gesture is detected, the method may continue withentering 703 the magazine page flipping mode. In one example embodiment,the magazine page flipping mode shows one page of the magazine on theleft lying flat and slightly angled, as a physical magazine mightappear, and having the opposite page curled up and showing less than theentire contents of the opposite page. In one such example, the edges ofa number of subsequent pages are visible at the edge of the curledopposing page.

If, the magazine page flipping activation gesture has not been detectedat 702, the method may continue with determining 704 whether a fast pageflipping activation gesture has been detected at the touch sensitivesurface. In one particular embodiment, the fast page flipping activationgesture may include a single swipe gesture from the right edge or bezelof the device oriented toward the center of the device. If the fast pageflipping activation gesture is not detected, the contact may be reviewed705 for other UI requests. If the fast page flipping activation gestureis detected, the method may continue with entering 706 the fast pageflipping mode. In one example embodiment, the fast page flipping modeshows the first page of the paginated content, as well as the edges of anumber of subsequent pages at the right edge of the first page.

The method may continue with determining 707 whether a page flippinggesture is detected. If the magazine page flipping mode is activated,the page flipping gesture may be a swipe or flick gesture from the edgeof the page toward the centerfold of the magazine, in some exampleembodiments. If the fast page flipping mode is activated, the pageflipping gesture may be a swipe gesture from the center of the devicescreen toward the edge of the screen, in some example embodiments. Ifthe page flipping gesture is detected, the method may continue withdetermining 708 if content of interest to the user is contained withinthe pages that are to be flipped through. If no content of interest tothe user is contained within the pages being flipped through, or if theinterest-based scrolling/flipping function is not enabled, the methodmay continue with flipping 709 through the paginated content. Note thatthe number of pages being flipped through, as well as the speed of thepage flipping animation, may depend upon the speed and/or length of thepage flipping gesture, or the duration of the gesture. In someembodiments, flipping through paginated content may include an animationshowing an opened magazine or book with the left-hand pages lying flatand one or more curled pages folding over the centerfold of themagazine, as shown in the example in FIG. 3e . In other embodiments,flipping through paginated content may include an animation showing oneor more pages folding upward at one corner to display a portion of thesubsequent pages, as shown in the example in FIG. 5d . In one suchembodiment, the portion of the first page still visible to the user mayhave a diminished or faded appearance while subsequent pages are beingflipped through.

If, however, content of interest to the user is contained within thepages that are to be flipped through, the method may continue withdecreasing 710 the page flipping speed as the content of interest isbeing displayed to the user. In order to catch the user's attention, insome embodiments the page flipping animation may pause or even stopentirely on a page containing content that the user is interested in. Inother embodiments, the content of interest may appear highlighted. Inother embodiments, pages with no content of interest are skipped. Insome cases, specific types of content that a user is interested in maybe entered by the user via a configuration sub-menu (e.g., the sub-menuof FIG. 1d ) or some other user input technique, while in other cases athird party (such as the professor of a class the user is enrolled in)may define what content is of increased interest to the user.

If no page flipping gesture is detected at 707, the method may continuewith determining 711 whether a page preview gesture is detected at thetouch sensitive surface. In one particular embodiment, the page previewgesture may include a double contact on a magazine cover page (e.g.,contacting the touch screen with both the thumb and index finger) andperforming an inward pinching gesture (e.g., by bringing the indexfinger toward the thumb), as illustrated in FIG. 6b . If the pagepreview gesture is not detected, the contact may be reviewed 705 forsome other UI request. If the page preview gesture is detected, themethod may continue with previewing 712 a portion of the followingpages. The following pages may be previewed by showing one or more pagescurling upward to expose a portion of the following pages, as shown inthe example in FIG. 6b . This particular gesture mimics the way a readermight hold down a page with the thumb and flick through a book with theindex finger to preview following pages. As such, the number of pagesbeing folded upward may depend on the number of pinching gesturesperformed, in one particular embodiment. The method may continue withdetermining 713 if the page preview gesture is reversed (e.g., byperforming an outward pinch with the index finger). If the previewgesture is reversed, the method may continue with returning to theoriginal page (the magazine cover page in this example). If the previewgesture is not reversed, the method may continue with displaying thepage currently being previewed when either the contacts are lifted fromthe touch sensitive surface, or a swipe gesture is performed. Note thatalthough the page preview function is described with reference to theuser's thumb and index finger, the function may be performed using anytwo contact points whether they are fingers, styli, or some othersuitable implements.

Numerous variations and embodiments will be apparent in light of thisdisclosure. One example embodiment of the present invention provides adevice including a touch screen display for displaying digital contentto a user and allowing user input. The device also includes a userinterface including a page flipping mode that can be activated inresponse to an activation gesture, wherein the page flipping mode isconfigured to flip through at least one page in response to a pageflipping gesture, and wherein at least one of page flipping speed and/orthe number of pages flipped through is determined by the page flippinggesture's speed and/or duration (wherein duration refers to, forinstance, the length of a swipe gesture or hold time of a press and holdgesture). In some cases, the activation gesture includes twosimultaneous swipe gestures oriented toward opposite edges of the touchscreen display. In some cases, the activation gesture includes a swipegesture and/or a press-and-hold gesture performed over paginatedcontent. In some cases, the page flipping mode is further configured toshow a graphic of paginated content in a stack and an edge of thatcontent stack appears slanted or staircased as previously explained, andwherein a page flipping animation commences in response to theactivation gesture being received on or near the slanted or staircasededge. In some cases, the page flipping mode is further configured todisplay a page flipping animation in response to a page flippinggesture, the animation showing a corner of at least one page foldedupwards to display a corner portion of an adjacent page. In some cases,the page flipping gesture includes a double-contact inward pinchgesture. In some such cases, the page flipping mode is furtherconfigured to display a corner portion of at least one subsequent pagein response to the inward pinch gesture. In addition, or alternatively,the page flipping gesture includes a press and hold gesture. In somecases, at least one area of interest may be identified by the pageflipping mode. In some such cases, the page flipping mode is furtherconfigured to decrease page flipping speed when content related to theat least one area of interest is being displayed to the user. In othersuch cases, the page flipping mode is further configured to stopflipping pages when content related to the at least one area of interestis being displayed to the user. In other such cases, the page flippingmode is further configured to highlight any content displayed to theuser related to the at least one area of interest and/or skip pageshaving no area of interest.

Another example embodiment of the present invention provides a mobilecomputing system including a processor and a touch screen display fordisplaying content to a user and allowing user input, and a userinterface executable on the processor and including a page flipping modethat can be activated in response to an activation gesture via the touchscreen display, wherein the page flipping mode is configured to flipthrough at least one page in response to a page flipping gesture, andwherein at least one of page flipping speed and/or the number of pagesflipped through is determined by the page flipping gesture's speedand/or duration (again, duration may refer to length of a swipe gestureor hold time of a press and hold gesture). In some cases, the pageflipping mode is further configured to receive input of at least onearea of interest and to decrease page flipping speed when contentrelated to the at least one area of interest is being displayed to theuser.

Another example embodiment of the present invention provides a computerprogram product including a plurality of instructions non-transientlyencoded thereon to facilitate operation of an electronic deviceaccording to a process. The computer program product may include one ormore computer readable mediums such as, for example, a hard drive,compact disk, memory stick, server, cache memory, register memory,random access memory, read only memory, flash memory, or any suitablenon-transitory memory that is encoded with instructions that can beexecuted by one or more processors, or a plurality or combination ofsuch memories. In this example embodiment, the process is configured toreceive at the electronic device a page flipping mode activationgesture, enter a page flipping mode, receive at the electronic device apage flipping gesture, and display a page flipping animation showing atleast one page flipping, wherein the page flipping gesture's speedand/or duration determines the number of pages being flipped and/or thespeed of the page flipping animation. In some cases, the page flippingmode shows a graphic of paginated content in a stack and an edge of thatcontent stack appears slanted or staircased as previously explained, andwherein a page flipping animation commences in response to the pageflipping gesture being received on or near the slanted or staircasededge. In some cases, at least one page of the opposing side of the bookis shown turning over to expose an adjacent page. In some cases, atleast one area of interest may be identified by the page flipping mode,and wherein pages having no area of interest are skipped in the pageflipping animation. In some cases, the page flipping mode shows a firstpage lying flat, and wherein edges of a plurality of subsequent pagesare visible behind the first page. In some such cases, the page flippinganimation shows a corner of at least one page folded upwards to displaya corner portion of an adjacent page. In other such cases, the pageflipping gesture includes a swipe gesture and the page flippinganimation returns to displaying the first page in response to the pageflipping swipe gesture being retraced. In some cases, the page flippinggesture includes a double-contact inward pinch gesture. In some suchcases, the page flipping animation is further configured to display acorner portion of at least one subsequent page in response to the inwardpinch gesture. In some cases, the process further includes: receiving atthe electronic device at least one area of interest, and the pageflipping animation speed decreases, pauses, or stops when contentrelated to the at least one area of interest is displayed to the user.

The foregoing description of the embodiments of the invention has beenpresented for the purposes of illustration and description. It is notintended to be exhaustive or to limit the invention to the precise formdisclosed. Many modifications and variations are possible in light ofthis disclosure. It is intended that the scope of the invention belimited not by this detailed description, but rather by the claimsappended hereto.

1. A computer program product including one or more non-transitorymachine readable mediums encoded with instructions that when executed byone or more processors cause a process to be carried out, the processcomprising: in response to a page flipping mode activation gestureperformed on paginated digital content, enter a page flipping mode; andin response to a page flipping gesture, causing display of a pageflipping animation showing at least one page of paginated digitalcontent flipping, wherein at least one of the number of pages beingflipped and the page flipping speed is controlled by the distance of acontact point of the page flipping gesture from a point of reference;wherein the page flipping gesture is distinct from the page flippingmode activation gesture, and can be used to turn one or more pages ofthe paginated digital content at a time.
 2. The computer program productof claim 1 wherein the point of reference is an edge of a touch screendisplay.
 3. The computer program product of claim 2 wherein the greaterthe distance of the contact point of the page flipping gesture from theedge, the greater the number of pages being flipped.
 4. The computerprogram product of claim 2 wherein the greater the distance of thecontact point of the page flipping gesture from the edge, the faster thepage flipping speed.
 5. The computer program product of claim 1 whereinthe activation gesture comprises two simultaneous swipe gesturesoriented toward opposite edges of a touch screen display.
 6. Thecomputer program product of claim 1 wherein the activation gesturecomprises a press-and-hold gesture.
 7. The computer program product ofclaim 1 wherein the page flipping mode is further configured to show agraphic of paginated content in a stack and an edge of that contentstack appears slanted or staircased, and wherein a page flippinganimation commences in response to the at least one of the activationgesture and the page flipping gesture being received on or near theslanted or staircased edge.
 8. The computer program product of claim 1wherein the page flipping mode is further configured to display a pageflipping animation in response to a page flipping gesture, the animationshowing a corner of at least one page folded upwards to display a cornerportion of a next page.
 9. The computer program product of claim 1wherein the paginated content includes paginated content having singlepages of content in a stack.
 10. The computer program product of claim 1wherein the page flipping mode at least one of automatically slows andstops flipping through pages when a page including a designated area ofinterest is at least one of about to be displayed and is beingdisplayed.
 11. The computer program product of claim 10 wherein the pageflipping mode is further configured to highlight any content displayedto the user related to the area of interest.
 12. The computer programproduct of claim 10 wherein designated areas of interest include atleast one of a page having product of interest, a topic of interest, achapter title page, a page annotated with highlights, and a pageannotated with notes.
 13. A mobile computing system comprising thecomputer program product of claim
 1. 14. A computer program productincluding one or more non-transitory machine readable mediums encodedwith instructions that when executed by one or more processors cause aprocess to be carried out, the process comprising: in response to a pagescrolling mode activation gesture performed on paginated digitalcontent, enter a page scrolling mode; and in response to a pagescrolling gesture, causing display of a page scrolling animation showingat least one page of paginated digital content scrolling, wherein atleast one of the number of pages being scrolled and the page scrollingspeed is controlled by the distance of a contact point of the pagescrolling gesture from a point of reference; wherein the page scrollinggesture is distinct from the page scrolling mode activation gesture, andcan be used to scroll one or more pages of the paginated digital contentat a time.
 15. The computer program product of claim 14 wherein thepoint of reference is an edge of a touch screen display.
 16. Thecomputer program product of claim 15 wherein the greater the distance ofthe contact point of the page scrolling gesture from the edge, thefaster the page scrolling speed.
 17. The computer program product ofclaim 14 wherein the paginated content includes serial paginated contenthaving single pages of content in a line.
 18. The computer programproduct of claim 14 wherein the page scrolling mode at least one ofautomatically slows and stops scrolling through pages when a pageincluding a designated area of interest is at least one of about to bedisplayed and is being displayed.
 19. The computer program product ofclaim 18 wherein designated areas of interest include at least one of apage having product of interest, a topic of interest, a chapter titlepage, a page annotated with highlights, and a page annotated with notes.20. A mobile computing system comprising the computer program product ofclaim 14.